A quarry in Nunney, near Frome, will be reopened after the county council reversed a decision it made earlier this year.
Aggregate Industries UK applied to reopen Bartletts Quarry, arguing its existing operations at the nearby Torr Quarry could not cope with growing demand from London and the south east – including new contracts relating to HS2.
Somerset County Council refused permission in January, arguing the economic case for reopening the site was “weak” and would negatively impact neighbouring residents.
But the council’s regulation committee had a change of heart on 29th July, arguing the decision would protect local jobs and prevent a long-term increase in traffic.
Aggregate applied to vary existing planning conditions, allowing it to restart limestone extraction at Bartletts Quarry before work at the Torr Works site near Shepton Mallet ceases.
While all stone from the Bartletts site is transported by road, the Torr Works site is connected to the railway, enabling stone to be transported more rapidly to London and the south east.
The company argued that since August 2020 (when the previous plans were submitted), the demand for materials outside of Somerset had risen – meaning more stone would be transported by rail rather than road in the future.
But this did little to convince local residents, who argued nothing had changed since the plans were first refused in January.
Richard Maywer said, “Our legal advice states there is no substantial new evidence in these revised plans. The figures are company forecasts, with no empirical evidence.
“If these applications are refused, Aggregate would at last invest in Torr Works. There is no need to pursue the cheaper solution of reopening Bartletts.”
Chris Potter added, “The future demand analysis is poor – it’s actually likely to decrease, for instance through the reduced need for office capacity resulting in the re-purposing of existing buildings.
“Demand for crushed rock and concrete will decrease. The applicant’s climate change discussion admits an increase in carbon emissions.”
John Martineux, who lives and works near the quarry, said residents’ quality of life would inevitably suffer if the Bartletts site was allowed to reopen.
He said, “We are already disturbed by sirens, blasting noise and tremors. If this reopens, it will increase by a factor of four.
“I frequently travel between Nunney and Mells, and it would be unusual on weekdays to pass less than 12 fully-loaded quarrying lorries travelling at 50mph. Opening Bartletts will lead to more lorries, noise, dust and damage to roads.”
Alexander Johnson, quarry development manager at Torr Works, said the “just-in-time” nature of extraction made it difficult to increase capacity at this site.
He added, “If we can balance road services between Torr and Bartlett to concentrate on increased rail sale, this would prevent us negatively impacting on local Somerset businesses which rely on us. Letting our local customers down is not what we want to do.”
Councillor Philip Ham, whose Mendip Central and East division includes several quarries, said the industry needed to be supported in any way possible.
He said, “The quarrying industry has been the backbone of employment in this part of Mendip for hundreds of years. There is a saying that every quarry-based job creates another seven in the local area.”
Councillor John Parham, who chairs the committee, argued that the closure of Torr would lead to an increase in traffic from other local quarries without rail links ramping up production.
He said, “This is a hugely contentious subject – we all appreciate that. However, mineral extraction in the Mendips is a vital primary industry – it’s essential that we support it and ensure its longevity.
“We have to be very careful that we don’t do something that materially affects the quarrying industry as a whole.
“I’m inclined to support the application – not just for what’s happening today with the support of jobs, but to prevent a huge hike in road traffic in five to ten years’ time, which will be the inevitable impact of turning this down today.”
The committee ultimately voted to approve the proposals by a margin of seven votes to one.
Approval was granted with the proviso that no more than three million tonnes of stone was extracted from the two sites combined, per year.
